Bulgarian guards at the perimeter of their forward base at the University of Karbala shot the suicide bomber as the gasoline tanker bore down on the front entrance.
Nevertheless, the bomb exploded about 50 feet (15 m) from the base's main building, killing four Bulgarian soldiers and wounding 27 others, one of whom died from his injuries on the next day.
[1] The soldiers killed were Major Georgi Kachorin, Lieutenant Nikolai Saruev and Officer Candidates Ivan Indjov, Anton Petrov and Svilen Kirov.
[2] The Bulgarian Army chief of staff, Nikola Kolev, said they expected attacks because Karbala had been suspiciously peaceful.
[4] In Bulgaria, questions were raised by the country's participation in Iraq and the salaries soldiers received for their international service in a warzone.